Chapter 73: New Idea |
After days and nights of hard work, Chen Lin finally gathered 120 mid-quality spirit stones after more than 10 days.
He felt that his current earning speed was unparalleled among Qi Refining cultivators. If he went all out, he could earn five mid-quality spirit stones a day.
It was truly terrifying!
Of course, this was thanks to the recent surge in talisman prices. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible.
This situation wouldn't last forever, so he had to seize the opportunity to make talismans.
With the spirit stones gathered, Chen Lin took advantage of the time when Zhao Merchant House was empty to buy the high-quality spirit stone.
Feeling the pure and refined spiritual energy within the high-quality spirit stone, he even had the urge to directly absorb and refine them for cultivation.
Of course, he knew that would be a waste.
Since the snake puppet was almost ready, Chen Lin installed the high-quality spirit stone and stored them in his inventory.
Originally, Chen Lin had planned to refine another snake puppet, but the materials were scarce in the market, and it was impossible to gather ten sets. Moreover, the cost of a single snake puppet was too high, not only in terms of materials but also the high-quality spirit stones required.
In the end, he had to settle for purchasing materials for another type of puppet, a mid-tier Qi Refining puppet.
This puppet was actually of limited help to him.
Puppets were said to have the same power as a cultivator of the same tier, but that was only in terms of attack power. In reality, there was a huge difference.
Take the snake puppet, for example. Both of its skills had the power of a high-quality technique, but it lacked intelligence and required Chen Lin to use his spiritual power to issue commands. In battle, it couldn't adapt and respond flexibly.
A Qi Refining late-stage cultivator wouldn't only know two techniques; they would also have spiritual treasures, talismans, and other means that a puppet couldn't possess.
A puppet could only be considered a decent helper, and if used well, it could achieve unexpected effects.
If he could win by quantity, that wouldn't be bad, but unfortunately, his spiritual power was limited. Even if he focused solely on controlling the puppets, with his current spiritual power, he could only control two Qi Refining late-stage puppets at most.
If they were mid-tier Qi Refining puppets, he could control a few more.
However, mid-tier Qi Refining puppets had weaker combat power, and even if he had several, they might not be able to match a single true Qi Refining mid-tier cultivator.
So, why was he still refining puppets?
Because he had an idea, and if he could make it work, it would have an unexpected effect.
During this time, there was a new discovery in the ancient ruins, and another spiritual equipment was unearthed, along with a complete storage room containing many ancient texts.
This news was even more shocking.
Because the excavation had taken too long, the news had already spread to the neighboring country's cultivation world.
Guyuan City was located in the southeastern border of Yan Kingdom, separated from another country, Che Qi Kingdom, by only a mountain range.
The cultivation world of Che Qi was different from Yan Kingdom, and their cultivators were more reckless and chaotic. The ruling sect, the Black Demon Sect, controlled the country, and there was frequent friction between the two countries' cultivation worlds. The mortal world was also plagued by war.
If cultivators from Che Qi came, the ancient ruins would become even more chaotic.
Chen Lin had been keeping an eye on the ancient ruins, but he didn't plan to visit. He only wanted to know how long his high-priced talismans could sell for.
Returning to his residence, Chen Lin began a new round of puppet refinement.
He had originally wanted to rely on his own abilities to research the monkey puppet, but he found that he had overestimated himself.
Although his understanding of cultivation knowledge had deepened, his abilities had also increased, but they still weren't enough to quickly master the monkey puppet.
If he learned normally, he felt that it would take at least a year and a half.
It wasn't that the bone structure was difficult to carve, but the corresponding array was too complex, and he needed to understand it to a certain extent. Otherwise, his innate abilities wouldn't be effective.
In the end, he couldn't resist eating an Enlightenment Pill.
Every time he finished, Chen Lin would secretly remind himself that this thing was harmful and that he should quit, but when he needed to comprehend something again, he couldn't resist using it.
"It seems like I've become addicted to this. This can't continue; I must quit, or my spiritual sea will be harmed, and even Spirit Nourishing Pills can't compensate for it!"
After mastering the production method of the monkey puppet, Chen Lin once again warned himself.
Then, he entered a frenzied state.
Before he knew it, several days had passed.
Chen Lin carried a somewhat rough-looking monkey puppet out of the house.
Looking at the crude craftsmanship, Chen Lin curled his lips and began installing the spirit stones.
He couldn't use his innate abilities to create the bone structure, as that would require repeated use of materials, which would be a huge waste.
It's ugly, but it's usable.
After installing the spirit stones, Chen Lin placed the monkey puppet on the ground, which was about two feet tall. This was also the reason he chose to make this puppet, as it could be stored in his inventory.
His inventory only had a one-cubic-meter space, and if the puppet was too big, it wouldn't fit. He couldn't carry it around everywhere.
It was also impossible to keep it in an activated state by his side, as that would consume too many spirit stones.
"Go!"
Chen Lin ordered, placing the puppet in position.
Although he only needed to use his spiritual power to issue commands, he felt that his voice was more effective.
As Chen Lin's voice rang out, the monkey puppet began to move slowly forward, with a slightly mechanical feel.
"Qi Refining mid-stage is indeed not as smooth as Qi Refining late-stage."
Chen Lin sighed, then shouted lightly, "Run!"
The monkey puppet immediately began to run, its movements eerily similar to a real monkey's.
Chen Lin couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of the array.
Unfortunately, the array was too profound, and even with the Enlightenment Pill, he could only grasp the surface level of it. This was only a small, specialized array for puppets.
So, he couldn't be too proud of himself.
He could refine the puppet, but he hadn't truly mastered the array on the ancient scrolls. He had only just begun to learn, and then relied on his innate abilities to synthesize and refine it, just like with the Thunderbolt Bead.
Next, Chen Lin had the monkey puppet jump up and down, left and right, and tested its built-in skills.
The first skill was the Eagle Claw Technique, a one-tier high-quality technique that, when activated, formed a virtual claw extending over a meter long, capable of crushing gold and stone.
The second skill was the Charge Technique, a low-tier technique, similar to the Strength Talisman.
However, Chen Lin was particularly fond of this technique, and it was one of the reasons he chose to refine the monkey puppet.
With a thought, the monkey puppet suddenly dashed out, like a small cannonball, and crashed into a pile of wooden planks on the wall.
With a loud crash, the wooden planks were sent flying.
It looked impressive, but in terms of attack power, it wasn't much.
Chen Lin watched the scene, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
"Haha, not bad, not bad, it's quite a show!"
He issued another command, and the monkey puppet ran back to him.
Then, Chen Lin took out a regular Thunderbolt Bead and had the monkey puppet grab it. He then took out a Golden Talisman and released a Golden Armor on the puppet.
Thinking it wasn't enough, he released another one.
Under the protection of the two-stage Golden Armor, the monkey puppet once again used the Charge Technique, crashing into a flower tree!
The puppet left a residual image, and in the blink of an eye, it reached the flower tree and crashed into it.
At that moment, Chen Lin immediately issued a command through his spiritual power, and a burst of energy erupted from the puppet's claws. The Thunderbolt Bead was instantly activated.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion erupted.
The monkey puppet was blown away by the massive explosive force, and the flower tree was also uprooted, leaving a small crater on the ground.
Chen Lin's eyes flashed with excitement as he rushed over to check on the puppet's condition.
At this moment, the two-stage Golden Armor on the puppet had already been destroyed, but its body was still intact. After checking its movements, Chen Lin found that it was still functioning normally.
Success!
Chen Lin's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, completely shedding his mature demeanor.